Monday, January 19, 2009

Sikkim is sheer magic. This is not just the most beautiful place in the world but cleanest and safest too. If once the charms of the state were limited to mists, mountains and colourful butterflies, they are now complimented by tangible development and progress. With its unique culture and natural landscape. Sikkim is a picture of perfection and pristine purity.Nestled in the Himalayas and endowed with exceptional natural resources, Sikkim is a hotspot of biodiversity and development. Though small in size, yet Sikkim has been identified world over as an important repository of germplasms of unknown dimensions. Perhaps, there is no part of the world, which offers a spectaular scene with every turn of the road as Sikkim. Though land-locked, Sikkim is one of the most beautiful and strategically important state of the Indian Union.Bounded by foreign nations on three sides, it shares its boundary with sister state West Bengal. Surrounded on three sides by precipitous mountain walls, Sikkim appears as a small rectangular Gem. Sikkim is like a stupendous stairway leading from the western border of the Tibetan plateau down to the plains of West Bengal, with a fall of about 5.215 metres in 240kms. Sikkim, in the west is bound by the north-south spur of the Great Himalayan Range which includes the world's third highest peak, Khangchendzonga and down to its south is Singalila ridge. In the north it is bound by Dongkia range and also partly includes the Tibetan Plateau. In the east it is bound by the Chola range. The average steepness is about 45 degree. Sikkim is the main catchment area for the beautiful river Teesta, which has its main source from Chho Lhamo lake in the north and is further strengthened by many streams and rivers of which Tholung. Lachung. Great Rangeet and Rangpo are important drainers. It also has about 180 perennial lakes, among which Khachoedpalri, Gurudongmar, Chho Lhamo and Men Moi Tso are some of the most scenic.Dominating both legend and landscape of Sikkim is the mighty Khangchendzonga. Known to the outside world as Kanchenjunga, it is the third highest peak in the world. But to the Sikkemese it is much more than a mountain: Khangchendzonga is the Guardian deity, a country God whose benign watchfulness ensures peace and prosperity for the land. The five peaks of Khangchendzonga are the five Treasures of the Eternal Snow, a belief beautifully interpreted by the great Lama Lhatsun Chenpo: "The peak most conspicuously gilded by the rising sun is the treasury of gold, the peak that remains in cold grey shade is the storehouse for silver and other peaks are vaults for gems, grains and the holy books." Each of the five peaks is believed to be crowned by an animalthe highest by a tiger and others by a lion, elephant, horse and the mythical bird Garuda. Along with the Guardian deity, the Nepal Peak, Tent Peak, Pyramid, Jonsang, Lhonak, Pahunri etc. and glaciers like Zemu, Changsang, Teesta, Changme are also important. The most important passes are jelep-la, Nathu-la, Cho-la and Thanka-la in the east; Donkiua, Kongralamu and Naku in the north and Kanglanangma and Chia Bhanjyang in the west.

Nearest Railway Station: The closest Railhead is at New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, 148 km and Siliguri which are connected to Calcutta, New Delhi Guwahati and other major Indian cities.

Nearest Airport: The closest Indian Airport is at a distance of 124kms from Gangtok at Bagdogra in Siliguri in West Bengal, where scheduled flights operates from kolkata (Calcutta), Delhi and Guwahati and connecting flights onwards. Travel time from the irport to Gangtok is 4 hours. From Kathmandu you can fly to Bhadrapur in the east Nepal (1 hour), then drive to Kakarbhitta (Nepal-India border, 35 kms), to Siliguri (37 kms) and to Gangtok (110kms. 4 hrs). Or fly to Biratnagar also in the east.

Helicopter Service: The Bagdogra airport is connected to Gangtok by a helicopter service which takes approx. 30 minutes to reach Gangtok. Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (+91-3592-222634) operates this service daily at 11:00 AM from Gangtok to Bagdogra and at 2:00 PM from Bagdogra to Gangtok at a price of Rs. 2000/- per person. It is a five seater chopper and mountain flights and other such tours to North Sikkim are conducted.Road: Gangtok is well connected by a road to Siliguri, 114 kms. 4 hours, which functions as the major transit point for the North and Eastern sections of the Indian Sub continent. Gangtok is further well connected by road with Darjeeling (4Hrs), Kalimpong and with Bhutan, Phuntsholing (6Hrs).

In the year 1592, when men in power were still God fearing and honored their word, a sacred covenant between the Lepchas - the indigenous people of Sikkim, and the Tibetan Bhutias was solemnized. This historical event took place near Gangtok, the present capital of Sikkim.

A bull was sacrificed to the Gods and an oath was sworn over its blood that the Lepchas and Bhutias would never fight and live as blood brothers in peace and harmony. Who ever broke the sacred oath would be cursed along with his descendents. From then on, on the 15th of every ninth month of the Tibetan calendar, the people of this region would make an offering of food and drink to their God to celebrate this sacred covenant. However the Tibetan rulers of the Sikkim could not keep their word for long and broke the sacred oath, inviting the wrath of the curse on themselves. The Namgyal dynasty that ruled over Sikkim from 1642-1975, came to an end on 16th May 1975 and Sikkim became the 22nd State of India. However during my recent trip to the eastern Himalays I realized that while the rulers of this region broke the sacred oath of peace the people of this region continue to follow the sacred covenant.

Kalimpong was my first experience of the eastern Himalayas. We arrived by road from Bagdogra at night, occasionally stopping on the way for tea at some roadside dhaba. It was a different world – the silence, the hills and the trees breathing refreshingly moist cold air, the narrow winding roads fading into a foggy corners, the simple rural folk, the place seemed so romantically remote and away from the everyday absurdities of city life.

The next day, a local Bhutia driver took us around Kalimpong, telling us a little bit about all the major land marks. He was a gentle and friendly man and would greet every third person on the road as we drove around the town. When I commented on his popularity among the locals, his response was simple – “since we do not know how long we are going to live, we might as well live with friendship and love while we are still alive !”

Kalimpong, as well as the rest of the region of eastern Himalayas, is home to people of different tribes and faiths. There are Nepali Hindus, Lepchas and Bhutias who are mostly Buddhist and a small Christian and a Tibetan Muslim population. The Lepchas, meaning ‘ravine folk’ are believed to be the original inhabitants of Sikkim. They are the people who lived with and worshiped nature – they venerated the spirits of rivers and mountains before adopting Buddhism or Christianity. Their closeness to nature is reflected in their language, which though not well developed, is rich in vocabulary related to the plants and animals of this region. The Bhutias are of Tibetan origin who migrated from Tibetan to Sikkim, Himalayan West Bengal and Bhutan after the 15th century. They follow Nyingmapa and Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Majority of Nepalis here are Hindus, except the Sherpas and Tamangs, who are Buddhist.

Few outsiders are aware of the fact Tibet had, and perhaps still has, pockets of Muslims entrenched within its borders. Tibetan Muslims trace their origin to immigrants from China, Kashmir, Ladakh and Nepal. Islamic influence in Tibet also came from Persia and Turkestan.After 1959, during the Chinese aggression, quite a few Tibetan Muslims managed to escape out of Tibet into the border towns of Gangtok, Kalimpong and Darjeeling. A large number of them moved to Kashmir. However, according to one report, about 50 Tibetan Muslim families still reside in the Kalimpong-Darjeeling region. Tibetan Muslims in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Nepal have a joint Tibetan Muslim Welfare Association based in Kalimpong. I met some of them outside the Jame Masjid in Kalimpong. When I asked one of them if there was any friction among the different communities, he seemed to be taken by surprise, ‘What is there to fight about?’ he wondered. ‘We are simple folks, and our only concern is to earn a living and save for our children’s future’ he added. That moment all the petty politics of hate and communalization over the Jamia Nagar encounter and Malegaon blast come to my mind and I felt a bit ashamed of myself. The rest of India broke its sacred covenant of brotherhood long time ago and God knows how many of our future generations will face the wrath of the curse.

It was in Kalimpong where a Buddhist taxi driver and a pious namaazi taught me the refreshingly simple philosophy of peaceful co-existence. It was in Kalimpong, too, that I got my first glimpse of eastern Himalayas and Kanchendzonga, the highest mountain peak of India. The serene landscape of hills rolling into the far horizon with the mighty Kanchendzonga rising far above the clouds reminded me of what Pir Inanyat Khan, the great musician and sufi, once wrote - the spiritual centre of a region lies at its highest point.

Monday, February 03, 2014

By Kushal Mahapatro | INN LiveSikkim is emerging as a hot spot for paragliding, as increasing numbers of adventure lovers from different parts of the world are visiting the state for a thrilling experience in the Himalayan foothills.In recent months, increasing numbers of foreign visitors are flocking to the state to enjoy the thrill of a "flying" holiday.According to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, around 100 local youths are associated with paragliding in the state that generates economic activities of over Rs.1 crore. Chamling said the state government targets to increase the number of local people actively involved in paragliding to 500.

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

By Jayaram Pichko / INN LiveSikkim is constructing five hydroelectricity projects – Teesta III, Dik Chu, Panan, Tashiding and Ting-Ting – in violation of the Supreme Court’s order. These projects are coming up within the 10-km eco-sensitive zones around Khangchendzonga National Park and Fambonglho wildlife sanctuary without the mandatory approval of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). What is worse, the state and private user agencies – Teesta Urja, Sneha Kinetic, Himgiri Hydro and DANS Group – did not even approach the NBWL for clearance.

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

By Mohan Guruswamy (Guest Writer)The nature of war is directly related to the technology of the times and the resources available. But how we can fight and how long we might fight increasingly depends on the willingness of the world as a whole to allow it. War between countries and particularly war between major powers will not be without consequences to the ever increasingly inter-dependent world and hence international pressure to terminate conflicts before they expand and/or spiral out of control is only to be expected, especially when the nations in conflict are armed with nuclear weapons.

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

By Kajol Singh | INNLIVEIn 2014 general elections of India becomes world's longest election schedule in world's largest democratic country. The number of Indian voters has gone from 176 million in the first general election held in 1952 to some 814 million in 2014.Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath who announced poll Lok Sabha schedule on Wednesday said the increase in the number of voters since the last Lok Sabha polls of 2009 was about 100 million.The poll panel announced a nine-phase election schedule from April 7. The election election results will be announced on May 16. This is the longest ever poll schedule in India's electoral history.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

By Vijay Wahiktu / DispurArunachal Pradesh is planning on at least 150 MoUs for power generation in the fragile hills of the Eastern Himalayas in high seismic zones. Is the Northeast in the next disaster point after Uttarakhand? Environmentalist Neeraj Vagholikar said, "Arunachal is no different. It's a part of the Himalayas and it's prone to such natural hazards and while Arunachal goes to exploit its hydel power potential, there's a need to really ensure that you have followed all the steps."

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has said that the environment and bio-diversity in Sikkim have been threatened by construction of hydel power projects and absence of government safeguards.

The state government has not taken sufficient precaution against degradation of environment and bio-diversity by drawing up a catchment area treatment plan and protection of riverine fishes, the CAG in its report for the financial year 2008-09 said.

The CAG criticised the forest, environment and wildlife management department in particular as well as the independent power producers (IPP) for failure to set down a plan to address potential degradation of the environment.

The department, the CAG says, has failed to prepare an annual plan for protection of wildlife, preservation of bio-diversity and development of infrastructure although it received Rs 26.37 crore from six IPPs towards cost for compensatory afforestation and catchment area treatment. etc.

The CAG also pointed out that the aquatic life in Sikkim faced a grave threat in the wake of change in the ecology of the river system due to creation of reservoirs, fluctuation in natural river discharge and diversion of river water through closed tunnels.

Friday, February 27, 2009

A small news item that appeared in the papers last week may have slipped by most readers. It reported how the Congress, the BJP and the CPM had all joined hands in Sikkim to form the United Democratic Front, an electoral arrangement that will fight the Sikkim Democratic Front led by chief minister Pawan Chamling in the elections later this year. Sikkim politics barely makes news nationally and certainly not in Mumbai. But this was an intriguing bit of news -- the three political parties who are at loggerheads in a tie-up!By a coincidence perhaps the former BJP ideologue Govindacharya held a press conference in Ahmedabad where he suggested that the two big national parties come together in a joint front. His logic? This would avoid instability, which was sure to follow if a motley Third Front was formed in the absence of any big party getting enough seats. The two big parties together had 282 seats in parliament; this time round, Govindacharya predicted, they would get 252, which was still short of a full majority but would be the single largest combination.

It is a tempting thought, on the face of it. Neither of the two big parties looks set to reach even the 150 mark, leave along a full majority. None of the other parties, barring the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Left are likely to get more than 60 seats. The regional groups are too localised to make an impact on the national scene. The only possible option, going by past history, is for a collection of several small parties, with nothing in common between them who select a compromise candidate as the prime minister.

Again going by experience, this will be a shaky arrangement that will fall sooner than later: VP Singh, Chandrasekhar, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral, the examples are too many.

At a time when India faces so many challenges on the economic and security front, can we afford this kind of instability? Why not pool your best political talent and form a National Government which will work towards addressing these problems? Further, goes the argument, both the big parties have much in common. They both are for economic reforms, for the Indo-US Strategic partnership and for a tough approach towards terror. Indeed, as Govindacharya said, the BJP is "a saffron Congress".

Govindacharya is not the only one to have proposed this idea. The academic Meghnad Desai had suggested this a few years ago and the business community has always been an enthusiastic votary.

Two broad questions arise from this proposal: firstly, is such a coming together possible? Second, and far more important, is it a good idea?

Stranger things have happened in Indian politics so no one can ever rule out such an alliance. But it is safe to assume that it is not going to happen too soon. The so-called commonalities apart, both are extremely different kind of organisations. The BJP is ideology driven and its members have a clear idea of what it fundamentally stands for; the Congress is a broad church, absorbing every kind of ideology within its folds. It has always had leftists, rightists, border-line Hindutva types and socialists among its members, often at the same time. Yet they are all Congressmen and women. The BJP adheres to a well-structure outlook, dinned into each and every member by the RSS and too much deviation is simply not possible. The twain, therefore cannot meet because these two worldviews cannot be easily reconciled.

Then there is of course the question of who leads whom. This will be no ordinary coalition -- who will dominate the arrangement? Given the levels of polarisation in Indian politics, can the leaders of two parties reconcile themselves to working together? What price stability, then?

Democracies by their very nature look chaotic and coalitions more so. Everyone pulls in different directions, pushing their own agendas, whether it is a multi-party arrangement or a two-party one.

India looks even messier than other countries. We look at our plethora of regional parties and cringe and the absence of a national agenda. We think our democracy has got out of hand -- if only we could be like Singapore.

India is too big and diverse for that. Even these two parties will represent just 50 percent of the country, if that. A national government of two parties will shut out the aspirations of a large section of the population which will never get proper representation, simply because the two giants would dominate. Mayawati is within an election of becoming the prime minister; she or any other Dalit would never get a chance. Rag-tag coalitions may look like a farce; a government by the two national parties would be dangerous.

We don't know the result these elections will throw up, but whatever it is, that is the collective voice of the people. That has to be accepted. In the final analysis, it is they and not a small section of the population which thinks it has all the answers, who will count.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

By M H Ahssan / INN BureauProjects that don’t exist, repeat expenditure on ones that do. MPLADS is a free fund for our MPs. Over the years, Indian MPs have become a pampered lot. Although the need for an enforceable code of conduct for MPs was felt six decades ago, Parliament never got down to drafting and enforcing such a code and to lay down an ethical framework for the conduct of parliamentarians. However, there was no such lethargy when it came to expanding the privileges of MPs.Anxious to keep MPs happy, every government has done its bit to widen their perks and privileges. The launch of MPLADS and the increase in the annual allocation per MP from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore is probably the most obvious example of how MPs are pampered.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

As India enters the crucial round three of its month-long, five-phase parliamentary elections on Thursday, the electoral fate of the ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani and 1,565 other candidates will be sealed by over 140 million voters. While Gandhi looks comfortably positioned in her Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh, a traditional Nehru-Gandhi dynasty stronghold for over five decades, the Hindu nationalist BJP premier hopeful Advani isn't badly off either in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) where he has trounced his opponents in each election since 1991.

The third round of the polling will cover a swathe of 107 constituencies across 11 states and two union territories. Ballots will be cast for 26 seats in Gujarat, 16 in Madhya Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in West Bengal, 11 each in Bihar and Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. This important polling phase will also witness the election of a new 32-member legislature in India's northeastern border state of Sikkim.

In the wake of this phase, polling will be wrapped up for 372 of the total 543 Lok Sabha (Lower House) seats. Observers point out that by this stage in the 2004 general elections, the National Democratic Alliance combine had bagged 45 seats while the now ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had scooped 30 and the left parties 19.

However, despite the evidence of past arithmetic, poll analysts assert that voter turnout could still swing things either way.

It's quite another matter though that India's egregious heat (43 degrees Celsius plus) and an overall disenchantment with the political class have acted as a dampener for much of the electorate this year. As a result, voter turnout has been a modest 55% across the 12 states in the first two phases of the elections. However, there have been a few surprises, like Andhra Pradesh, which has recorded a turnout of over 68%. Analysts feel that Andhra Pradesh, with a population of more than 70 million, may well turn out to be a key determinant in deciding who India's next ruler could be.

Orissa comes in a notch lower with a 62% turnout. However, the biggest surprise was Amethi (Uttar Pradesh), Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi's constituency. Despite the Congress machinery being pressed into full service to garner support for him, including his sister Priyanka Vadra's vigorous canvassing, the area recorded a tepid 40% turnout.

Interestingly, according to poll pundits, the lowest turnout for any Lok Sabha election in India was in 1952 (45.7%), while the highest - 64.1% - was witnessed in 1985. The last elections in 2004 saw 58.1% of the electorate turn up to cast their ballots.

Another unusual trend witnessed in this election has been the relatively better (58%) voter turnout of middle and upper class voters in urban areas. This is in direct contrast to past electoral traditions in India where it is usually the economically weaker sections which come out in droves to vote while the rich register abysmal turnouts of 40% or less.

Over the past four general elections since 1977, the trend has been that the poor have invariably voted in greater numbers than the country's upper classes with rural areas recording greater turnout than the urban pockets. This trend, concede poll analysts, contrasts starkly with Western nations where political participation - especially one's franchise - is taken very seriously by the educated and the empowered sections of society.

High turnout or not, election 2009 has also been significant for another reason: an unprecedented level of security with the deployment of over 3 million personnel to keep a strict eye on electoral proceedings. As a result, elections have more or less been peaceful, with only a few sporadic cases of violence. The only major trouble spots have been the Naxalite-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, which witnessed the killing of 19 people across 86 polling stations. Here, Maoists had called for a boycott of the elections and carried out a series of attacks in mid-May.

Be that as it may, all eyes are now focused on May 16, when the poll results will start trickling in after two more rounds of polling. As a single-party government in India looks unlikely in the current scenario - with both the BJP and the Congress likely to fall short of the requisite magic numbers to form a government at the center - at least half a dozen smaller political parties, representing India's multifarious regions, castes and sub-castes, are set to lobby hard for key government positions. There is even a chance that one of their leaders may become next prime minister. And as is entirely expected, vigorous horse-trading will then commence for candidates who carry maximum political weight.

But significantly, unlike past coalitions, this time political alliances will be cobbled together only after all results have been announced. This will further heighten the uncertainty about what kind of political permutation will rule in Delhi. New alliances will need to be forged, and what cannot be entirely ruled out is a third front - a conglomerate of non-BJP and non-Congress parties - forming the government, leaving the two major national parties wringing their hands.

But more than the power-broking, what will be of most concern to the Indian electorate ultimately is the type of coalition government that will emerge out of the current chaos and alphabetical soup of regional parties. The more delicately poised the coalition, analysts say, the more cumbersome it will be for it to make politically contentious choices.

Friday, April 28, 2017

It’s easy to identify what a German Shepherd, Labrador, and Saint Bernard have in common: they’re furry, adorable canine companions with massive fan bases all over the world. But what about the Chippiparai, Jonangi, and Kombai?

Even ardent animal lovers might stumble a bit here, but these too are dog breeds which have another thing in common—they’re all Indian. Skilled, sturdy, and well adapted to the country’s tropical climate, these dogs are great workers and excellent companions. Unfortunately, the other characteristic Indian breeds share is that they’re disappearing.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Will doing so address the real challenges of governing? What is the evidence from other countries?

The idea of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies has gained some ground recently. In December 2015, a parliamentary standing committee recommended a move in this direction by streamlining elections into two phases – one concurrent with Lok Sabha elections, the second in the mid-term of the Lok Sabha.

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Amit Reddy was probably born in the wrong place. Even his mother thinks so when she says, ‘You should go away to America, You are nothing like Indian.’ As Reddy finds it difficult to understand and live a life that his society and surroundings expect him to, and unable to comprehend the diktat of a Hindu Indian society, he decides to fix the problem. The way he decides to do it is by travelling across the country to discover its soul, and perhaps discover his own soul that might fit within an Indian context.As he puts it, “It’s all so frightfully confusing, but I intend to rectify this situation. The plan is ingenious, and quite simple. I’m going to explore India like few people ever have, by taking an inordinately long journey around the country; 40,750 kilometers long, to be precise… If everything goes accordingly, by the end of this journey I hope to be the complete Indian.”

Sunday, April 26, 2015

SPECIAL REPORT: Fresh strong aftershock hit Nepal and parts of north India, a day after the Himalayan nation was hit by an earthquake of magnitude of 7.9. It triggered another avalanche in the HImalayas.

The United States Geological Survey said the tremor was 6.7 magnitude, less than the 7.9 quake that struck the region killing at least 3,500 people. Parts of north and east India too experienced the tremors. Experts have said that more aftershocks may follow for a few days. A total fo 35 aftershocks have hit the Himalayan region so far.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

If there is one market segment that is clearly marked by the dominion of global brands in India – it’s active sportswear. From a segment driven by a collection of largely unorganized and homegrown SMEs two decades ago, today these international icons have not just made the market much more organised but have bolstered its overall size to over Rs. 6,000 crores. Many pure-play brands today are also into sports accessories, gear & equipment, while others have expanded their offerings to include sports-inspired product lines.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Believe it or not, almost 70 per cent of the national Capital was used for organic farming in 2011-2012, according to National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture. While the total geographical area of Delhi is 1.48 lakh hectares, NPOF data shows 100238.74 hectares (almost twice the size of Mumbai) was used for organic farming during that period. What smacks of data fudging and a gigantic scam took place between 2009 and 2012 when the Sheila Dikshit government was in power in Delhi and the Congress-led UPA ruled at the Centre.

Monday, December 15, 2014

For its level of income, India, as well as many of its states, could do a much better job in taking care of their most vulnerable people.American poet Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”—“Do I contradict myself/ Very well then I contradict myself/I am large, I contain multitudes”—seems tailor-made for India. Which country can India be compared to, in economic terms? Is India’s level of economic development more or less like Vietnam’s, because their per capita incomes, in international dollars and in purchasing power parity terms, are almost the same?

Thursday, April 10, 2014

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVEANALYSISWhile an increased turnout in Assembly elections is not an indicator of the same in Lok Sabha elections, aggressive campaigning points toward a higher turnout in this poll.If the pattern of turnout in the Assembly elections held over the last couple of years are of any indication, the turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections should significantly increase. Almost all the Assembly elections held in different States between 2012-13 witnessed a higher turnout compared to those held in previous years.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

By Swamy Parthasarathy | KochiWEEKEND DELICACY A mushrooming of dedicated momo outlets in the city is proof of the Kochiite's growing love for itSmall, neat, moon-shaped white pouches with pleated edges arranged in a circle around a red dot. This plate of momos, from Shifu’s Momo’s, looks more like a ten-petalled white flower with the fiery red chutney as a centre. Steamed, fried, white, brown, red, sweet, pungent….momo in its many avatars is in. In fact the city has stand-alone kiosks with momos as the main item.Kashyap Saigal started his momo counter in Panampilly Nagar market in March 2012. It was, then, an informal stand outside the verandah of a shop. Today Kashayap has a shop in the market. When he started out, he was sending out 50 plates of momos from his kitchen, today he sends anything between 200-250 plates. Ten momos make a plate.

Friday, March 07, 2014

Almost exactly a decade ago, the day after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections were announced, INNLIVE launched its special ‘General Elections 2014’ coverage, bringing readers a 360 degrees ringside view of one of the great wonders of the modern world. In every election since, whether general or state, ‘General Elections 2014’ has sought to empower, entertain and enlighten you with ground-level reportage, numbers-driven analyses, and agenda-setting thought pieces. We will do all that and more in the weeks to come, capturing the sights, smells and sounds of the mother-of-all political carnivals on earth, even as we help you separate choice from noise.